Tehri-Garhwal

One of the largest districts of the Indian state of Uttarakhand is Tehri-Garhwal. The district is nestled between the districts of Dehradun, Uttarkashi and Rudraprayag. The district derives its name from the word ‘Trihari’, which means a place which absolves the three sins evolving out of Mansa, Vacha and Karmana. The word Garh in Hindi refers to Fort, thus Tehri-Garhwal is believed to be a place of religious significance which can absolve man of his sins.

Prior to the 9th century, Tehri-Garhwal was divided into 52 different forts which were ruled by different rulers. It was ruler Kanakpal who united the 52 garhs and formed one consolidated kingdom. The Kingdom of Garhwal used to be ruled by the Shah dynasty and was a princely state.  It was in 1949, two years after independence that this princely state became a part of India.

Tehri-Garhwal was also ruled by the Gorkhas in the 19th century. The Gorkhas captured Garhwal in 1803 and soon spread their reach to the nearby areas of Dehradun, Saharanpur, Kangada and Simla.

In 1815 the Gorkhas were defeated by the British army resulting in the signing of the Suguali Treaty. From 1815 until the end of the British Rule in India, the Garhwal kingdom was ruled by the British. During their rule, the British merged east Garhwal, Kumaon and Dehradun into one region while west Garhwal was converted to Tehri Riyasat. It was after Garhwal became an Indian state that Tehri Riyasat was merged with Garhwal to form Tehri-Garhwal.

Tehri-Garhwal has religious significance too. It is said that Lord Brahma meditated here before creating the universe. Because of its high altitude, the place experiences a cool climate. The temperature during the summers stays at a comfortable 30-32° Celsius while the winter temperature often goes below 10° Celsius.

This district in the upper reaches of Uttarakhand does not have a railway station or an airport. Nevertheless, it is well connected to other important cities of the state by way of roads, with regular bus services from many important cities and hill stations of Uttarakhand.